Short fight sequence Warhammer 40,000
by Adrassil
Summary: Wrote this over at astro for a workshop, to write a fight scene, though I may as well post it here, just a short thing, that has nothing to do with much and starring Attelus Kaltos, enjoy!


All pretense of caution was thrown to the wind as I walked into the old, abandoned but still beautiful ministorum church, right through the front entrance with my hands in the pockets of my flak jacket and a smoking Lho stick hanging from my mouth.

The church was huge; rows upon rows of wooden pews led to the huge pipe organ and altar at the end. On each length were ten, thick rockcrete pillars and lining the walls; statues dozens of statues of angels and cherubim. All of this was in ill repair, mouldy, beaten and broken by the many years of abandonment. Much of the church was totally engulfed in shadow, it was early evening, so what little was left of the dieing sun light filtered softly through the huge eight stain glass windows, each depicting the image of some great saint of the Imperium's millennia long past. Saints I couldn't have given less of a frig about if I tried.

I heard the foot steps approaching slowly in the darkness, walking up the aisle straight toward me.

"It's as they say," said a deep, throaty voice and a man materialized from the shadows, a tall bulky man with dark brown skin that contrasted his white gleaming grin and his thick, long brown hair was styled into dread locks. "The sins of the past catch up to everyone one day, no matter how hard they try to avoid it, isn't that right, Attelus Kaltos?"

I smiled. "Ulysses."

"One can only run from his sins for so long, especially if that sin is as great as yours," said Ulysses. "That is why I'm going to kill you, that is why you need to die, Attelus."

"What's the rush, Ulysses? It's been along time, it's been along time since you betrayed us, kidnapped our acolytes and tried to turn them against us."

Ulysses sniggered with contempt. "It has been a long time indeed. But the sin of my betrayal is nothing compared to yours, the sin that causes you to hunch your shoulders, the sin that you carry with nothing but a smile, the one great sin that out does every single separate sin that I have ever committed, combined. All the sins I've committed will soon be justified by the means, the means that will be bringing you to justice for yours."

I grimaced. "Hmm," I growled. "Okay, enough of the religious crap, where's-" I was interrupted when more movement caught my eye causing me to turn, auto pistol suddenly in hand and raised to cover another as he another emerged from the shadows on my flank, it was a mercenary who was holding a stub revolver against the head of a hand cuffed, wide eyed Karmen Kons.

"Put the weapon down," said the merc, smirking from ear to ear. "Put the gun down nice and slow."

I didn't, I kept my auto pistol firmly trained on him.

The merc's smirk somehow widened even further, "what's the matter? If you don't comply..."

He never got to finish his sentence as I shot him straight through the forehead, the manstopper round exploding out the back of his skull in a shower of gore and skull fragments. Undeterred, Karmen didn't hesitate as she dived behind the nearest pillar.

As the rest of Ulysses' mercs chose to show themselves, I was already on the move, sprinting to take cover of the nearest pillar as their gun fire tore apart the seating arrangement in my wake.

There was one merc behind the fifth pillar down the line, his las pistol spitting my way, but I got the drop as I abruptly slipped out and shot him three times through the torso. Before his body had even fully fallen I was already running while the other mercs fired after me, trying to catch me as I ran between each pillar.

I made it to the fifth pillar and glanced out, quickly performing a head count; there were eight of the bastards in total, five on the ground floor and three on the first floor balcony, four had Auto guns, three had pistols and one had a weapon I couldn't quite make out.

I clenched my teeth and my eyes widened as the eighth showed what weapon he wielded as he popped from behind one the pews and raised; A frigging grenade launcher.

He was in the midst of pulling the trigger as I began to dash out the way, the resulting explosion rocked the room as it blew out the pillar that I'd cowered behind barely a second ago and I was sent flailing to the floor.

Recovering quickly, I slipped behind another pillar, flicking my wrist to retrieve a throwing knife from my sleeve then leaned out and threw it at the grenade launcher merc, causing the bastard to cower behind his pew.

I reached into my flak jacket pocket and drew out a frag grenade, ripped out the pin then threw it over my shoulder.

The grenade went off and I heard a satisfying scream of agony immediately follow.

With a smile I slid behind the next pillar, along the way shooting one of the mercs on the balcony; two rounds hit him, and he screamed as he fell over the hand rail, hitting the rockcrete floor head first with a audible crack!

The remaining six showered the pillar I was behind with swathes of full auto fire, in an attempt to pin me.

Smiling to myself I drew from one of my jacket pockets; a mirror and adjusted it to get the best view of the church I could, making out the two mercs who were moving to flank me, one had a pistol, the other, a auto gun.

Slipping my mirror back into my pocket I slid down into a crouch, flicked another throwing knife into my left hand and waited as the mercs rained what must've been an entire regiment's worth on munitions against my pillar.

I mustn't have waited more than a few seconds, but it felt like forever. As the blood thundered in my ears and the adrenaline pumped through me. It was amazing, even after all these years, combat somehow still had this effect on me.

They came, the auto gunner converging on my right, the pistol wielder on my left. The merc with the auto gun died first; two shots from my auto pistol felling him, the first hit him in the arm, the second blew open his solar plexus. Just as the other opened fire I was already moving, side stepping his flurry of shots, then turning and threw the knife straight into the barrel of the merc's gun.

My pistol spat four times, sending him staggering back then he collapsed lifelessly to the floor.

I ejected the empty clip from my auto pistol and slammed a fresh one home, then ran on, bounding behind the pillars; toward the staircase that lead up to the the first floor balcony all the while ignoring the countless rounds which rained after me.

Making it to the last pillar in line, I stopped to shoot the last merc positioned on the ground floor; cutting the bastard down as he ran between the pillars on the other side of the church in an attempt to get a better angle on me.

I began up the stair case, running up hunched while using the thick rockcrete handrail for cover from the fire.

There were two flights of stairs and as I began up the second, a merc suddenly appeared at the top, an auto pistol in hand.

Caught off guard, I reacted a second after him but we still brought our guns to bear simultaneously and both pistols boomed; his first few shots missed and so did mine, but I managed to catch him in the chest; killing him almost instantly, while he caught me in the right arm. Causing me to stagger back and bellow out in pain.

Clenching my teeth, I moved on, up the last flight and onto the first floor as the last merc fired after me, his auto gun on full auto showered across the rockcrete blowing up chunks of stone and dust.

My right arm now almost useless so I quickly changed to my left, I was ambidextrous so that caused me no trouble as I ran and fired back, what caused me to be so utterly inaccurate was running and gunning was hard even for the best gunslingers but the wild fire still caused the merc to slip behind cover.

The bastard was right on the other side of the church, a good sixty metres away and the balcony which led to it held almost nothing in the way of cover, a few small, beaten Cherubim statues and that was it.

So I gambled, taking advantage of the lull in the fire I reloaded as I ran and continued to shoot in an attempt keep the merc pinned down.

Somehow, it worked, despite his superior fire power and position the merc still stayed behind his pillar and allowed me to cross the distance, utterly undeterred.

He only leaned out when I stopped shooting to reload, but by then he was well within range of my throwing knives and one immediately stuck fast into his throat and gurgling blood he fell onto his back.

Clutching at my arm and gasping in pain I leaned against the wall. Just in front of me was a huge circular stain glass window, easily the biggest in the church and the image depicted on it was of saint Drusus, kneeling before the Emperor on the golden throne with his arms raised in supplication.

I would've smiled but instinct over took me, instinct honed razor sharp by years of training and toil instinct that made me turn just in time to catch Ulysses emerging from the shadows, swinging his force staff at me.

Barely, I managed to back step the blow but the attack still smashed my gun from my grasp, sending it clattering out of reach across the rockcrete.

I rallied and drew my power sword; the ancient Velrosian weapon crackled to life and smashed aside Ulysses follow on thrust. but using the momentum of the parry, Ulysses swung around with the other end of the staff which forced me to stumble out the way and he pressed his advantage, smashing over head in a blow that would've caved in my skull if I hadn't side stepped.

I quickly regained my footing and countered, cutting out horizontally, an attack that Ulysses managed to back step but barely as it opened an ugly gash across his chest. With barely a hint of pain Ulysses spun his staff and swung low in an attempt to take my legs out from underneath me.

After dancing over it I suddenly slipped in, kicking at his knee with my boot knife while at the same time slashing at his skull.

Clenching his teeth, Ulysses leaped away, escaping just out of the arc of my blade, and my kick then he peddled a few metres further back. His eyes were now blank and his raised staff crackling with psychic power.

"Do you know why I chose this place?" he asked, his voice echoing through out the huge church.

I shrugged and pursed my lips. "Uhh, because you have a flair for the dramatic?"

Ulysses frowned. "No, it is because I thought it fitting that you would die here, so you would know that you are beyond the Emperor's redemption, even when in a holy shrine such as this."

I snorted. "Well, this place is certainly a whole lot holier now, thanks to you and your mooks."

Indeterminate rage suddenly curdled Ulysses face. "You joke! You still joke! Despite everything! Despite the sin on your shoulders!"

My brow furrowed as anger threatened to overwhelm me. "Do you actually think I don't care? There hasn't been a day that has past that I haven't thought about it. Of what I could've done differently, of what I could've done to stop it. Every single day for a century I've carried the burden of it."

"Then let justice be done!" roared Ulysses. "You don't deserve to live after what you did, your every breath is a sin to the God-Emperor!"

I shook my head. "No, I still have much to live for, there's still much left to do."

"You fool!" snarled Ulysses and his staff now began to crackle and spark audibly. "You think that you can gain the God-Emperor's forgiveness through your deeds?"

I smiled. "No, I don't live for the Emperor's forgiveness, frig him. What I live for is for me, for humanity, so I can still help those who can't help themselves."

"Heretic!" Ulysses roared and with a great blinding flash and a deafening clamp of thunder he fired the psychic lightning at me.

Clenching my teeth I slid to the side, just out of the blast's path, my hair blowing around with the on rush of air, then with a roar I charged, making the distance in a millisecond and slashed my sword at his head.

Ulysses only laughed and projected a psychic shield that made my blow deflect away, then with a flourish he tapped the ground with the tip of his staff, dispelling his shield and sending out a huge wave of psychic energy that abruptly threw me off my feet and sent me hurtling through the air.

I hit the ground, hard and rolled a metre or two before I could recover.

Barely Ignoring the pain of my beaten, battered body I found my feet just in time to desperately dodge another deafening blast of lightning then I ran horizontally from Ulysses in a desperate bid to retrieve my auto pistol, for all the frigging good it'd do.

I'd fought psykers before and killed quite a few, but Ulysses, he was in a league of his own.

While running I picked up my pistol, slipped into a halt and opened fire, but faster than I thought possible, Ulysses had already projected another shield, and the shots only bounced and ricocheted harmlessly off.

Snarling in frustration I charged again, smashing my sword against the shield with all my might but once more it was turned aside.

Clenching my teeth I slashed again and again and again but each attack was as ineffective as the last, then suddenly the shield was gone, leaving me with my sword raised, face to face with a smirking Ulysses, then he punched me in the face.

He hit me hard, the impact made me see stars and sent me stumbling away, pain erupted through my cheek and for a few seconds I was completely dazed unable to do anything but flail back.

In any second I expected to hear the clap of thunder the sound that would announce my imminent demise.

But instead I heard something else entirely, a scream a scream of pain.

I reached out, clutching to the rockcrete handrail to keep my feet and my vision cleared.

I saw Ulysses, who was on his knees clutching at his head and standing right behind him was Karmen Kons, her eyes wide and her teeth clenched.

"Sorry, it took me, so long, to help you, Attelus," she said, her voice was strained and halting. "It took a while, for the drugs they'd injected me to clear from my, system, now! Help me! I can't hold him for much longer!"

I shook away the last of the dizziness and brought my sword to bear.

"Thanks Karmen," I said and sliced down in a skull cleaving cut.

"N-nooo!" Ulysses roared through gritted teeth and somehow even when under such duress he managed to let loose another psychic wave that stopped me in mid slash and threw both and Karmen I off our feet and smashing to the floor.

I bounced and rolled, recovering just in time to glimpse Ulysses get to his feet and throw himself straight through the stain glass window of Saint Drusus and disappear out of sight.

As quickly as I could; I climbed to my feet and ran to the window, looking down onto the courtyard below but found nothing. He was gone.


End file.
